This invention relates to an electrostatic transducer and a method of making same.
Electrostatic transducers of the general type about to be described have been subject to serious defects because of changes in expansion between various components. That is, portions of the transducers have tended to warp; and, others have experienced seal separations when subject to temperature changes. It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide an electrostatic transducer which does not tend to have these deficiences.
Prior transducers have been fabricated with plastic or epoxy rims because electrodes thereof have tended to separate from metallic rims where such structures have been attempted. Such transducers, however, are made in two halves with a thin flexible membrane stretched therebetween; and, it has been difficult to properly fasten the two transducer halves together when their rims have been made of plastic. Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a transducer which permits the use of metal frames which can be more satisfactorily fastened together to maintain tension on the central membrane.
An advantage of the structure about to be described is that it employs frame-halves which are essentially unitary structures which reduce fabrication time and improve accuracy over frame-halves having a plurality of individual parts.
Yet another advantage of the described structure is that the central membrane can be centrally supported so as to result in a reduction of the transducer's power requirements.